H&M goes Lanvin

Then I started thinking about how amazing it is that in today, women have access to expensive designer clothing & accessories for so much less than 'designer' prices! Alber Elbaz, Lanvin’s artistic director had this to say about his collaboration with H&M

I have said in the past that I would never do a mass-market collection, but what intrigued me was the idea of H&M going luxury, rather than Lanvin going public.

Whichever way you see it, either that the big brands are going public or that the fast fashion stores are going luxury, it’s a win-win situation for everybody.

The first designer collaboration was between Karl Lagerfeld and H&M in 2004, and since then, a lot of other stores have done the same. From Target in the US with collaborations from the late Alexander McQueen, Jean Paul Gaultier, Anna Sui and many more. And from TopShop in the UK with collaborations with designers Jonathan Saunders, Ann-Sofie Backs and supermodel Kate Moss.

On August 26^th, Montreal’s own designer extraordinaire Denis Gagnon teamed up with Bedo for a limited edition 30 piece collection. As I visited a Bedo store and looked at his collection, I was pleasantly surprised on how similar the collection is to the one he wowed us with at Fashion Week last March.

For those that put these partnerships together, it means more publicity, reaching more customers & making more money.

As collaborations seem to be getting bigger and better, we shall wait and see which other designers will work out a collection that is accessible to more than just their usual customers.

I’m hoping Chanel for H&M Spring 2011. A fashionista can dream!